Boards

What's everyone's view on these? I'm fucking sick to death of people wearing them as fashion accessories. The whole purpose of them has been lost completely - there's twats walking round college with the whole collection on their arms (Beat Bullying, Lance Armstrong, etc) without actually giving a fuck about any of the causes they are 'supporting'. I was in oxfam the other day and some girl came in asking about them. When they told her they only had the fabric one and not the rubber one she wanted, she tutted, turned around and walked out. People like that make me so fucking angry. The whole idea of the wristbands as a tool to raise awareness has just become futile - the people wearing them as fashion accessories are now actually outweighing the people wearing them because they give a fuck. I don't think many of the people wearing them are actually thinking about their purpose, and the issues that have resulted in making campaigns like Make Poverty History and Make Trade Fair neccesary. I bought one in early January and now I'm embarrased to put it on because I don't want to look like I don't give a fuck. This is one of the few charities that I have a really strong belief in, and I hate the fact that I can't even wear a wristband without looking like a cunt.

Yeah, it's a shame. But it's the way these things go. You have to decide if lots of people wearing them cos it's cool is good cos it raises awareness - mostly in the people wearing them. Or it's bad cos the message is lost.

I can never decide. But i dont wear that kind of thing anyway. I prefer to bore people to death by talking to them about such causes while drunk instead.

i feel the same, yet all those £1's that people are spending on them add up, and it is creating awareness, allbeit not in the correct manner.
with the way things are toady something has to be fashionable or it just wouldn't pick up, its a shame, but its better than no coverage.

OK, this isn't neccesarily just about wristbands, there's so many other avenues they could go down. If Oxfam could come up with a product that was deemed 'cool' and desireable, there are millions (?) of people willing to spend money, regardless of where their money goes to. It's sad, but if Oxfam were re-branded in the right way (support from the likes of Chris Martin and Thom Yorke helps a great deal) they could make huge amounts of money from this particular audience.

They need to be innovative and actually come up with something that people want (ie not t-shirts). If they could come up with a product like, for example, the ipod (obviously not something that costly), that has become 'the thing to have', they could potentially make so much money. They have this image where they only sell old clothes, T-shirts and pens, but if there was a complete overhaul and they became 'cool' in the eyes of the market that has the money to spend, there is so much money to be made. The sad fact is, that it's not realistic to expect the public to just 'give' money to a good cause - they need it to be benefitial to themselves, to actually gain something out of the giving.

the kid in front of me in WH Smiths was desperate for a charity band, much to the confusion of the girl at the till. It's like Garbage Pail Kids or Pogs, but for a good cause. Which is...odd...but good, i guess.

but why do we need wristbands to raise awareness? Surely our sensationalist fourth estate caters enough for that already?
Once again it's just PC bullshit gone over the top
"I am showing that I care because I am wearing a wristband that I was told to wear"

what do you do to support the charities other than wear wristbands? And I'm sorry, but I assume (sorry if I'm wrong) that one of them is a beat bullying one - what the fuck does some 21 year-old man wearing a blue band do to prevent kids from bullying each other? Bullying is fairly inevitable.

The eBay thing is a disgrace. I have some friends who bought some from there and not through Oxfam or any other properly affiliated sites. Who the hell gets the proceeds, some stupid bimbo with more money than brain cells? Or, no doubt, someone fuelling a drug habit or something. eBay should put a ban on these...these people charging up to 100 quid for a piece of plastic obviously have no idea what poverty is. I just hope some of them are donating the money they're getting to the charities - imagine £100 in place of £1! But I doubt they've even thought of that.

'As seen on the wrists of celebrities'?? Bastards.

I know plenty of people who are buying their bands from proper charity shops and are wearing their bands as a genuine concern for the lack of help being given to third world countries. But I know far more who are wandering around college going 'Look at me, I have a yellow one to match my new Converse and my love for Bloc Party because I think the bassist is fit. Oh, they play music?'